A Close Friend
by OhTex
Summary: Percival Graves isn't sure how he made it through departmental meetings before Trixie Barnes came along. Meanwhile, Trixie discovers something painfully obvious. Graves/OC


_I'm back at last with some actual development! A glimpse into a handful of meetings Trixie and Percival have suffered through during the time they've worked together, from the first to the most recent, including bickering, irritating colleagues and some sappy realisations. Hope you enjoy them :)_

* * *

Wednesday 15th July 1925

Percival Graves sat in his usual seat, one from the head of the table, and let the morning chatter of his colleagues wash over him.

He took a sip of coffee and let the bitter taste coat his tongue before swallowing. He had a feeling he'd need more than one cup to get him through this. Departmental meetings were laborious at the best of time, but when he knew he had several juicy cases waiting for him, they became a real hindrance.

The door to his left eased open and he saw Trixie Barnes slide into the room, her eyes wide and an expression of barely contained panic on her face. He smiled into his cup as she watched her edge her way around the table, seeking a free seat. This was her first departmental meeting since her promotion last month and he couldn't deny he was curious to see how she did. If she had any sense, she would keep quiet, nod along and just get it over with.

That was Percival's plan.

The meeting began with the usual nonsense, led by Walter Catesby, a man with an abundance of self-importance and a severe lack of an actual job. As far as Percival could work out, President Picquery had put him in charge of the jobs she didn't have time to do herself, and chairing meetings was obviously one. He didn't understand how she could tolerate so many hangers-on but he supposed that's why he had chosen to lead the aurors, and she had chosen politics.

Catesby led them through the agenda with the air of a man who was deciding the fate of the known world. Percival just nodded his way through it, his mind still working over the case files he had reluctantly abandoned. After working through the schedule for just over an hour, Catesby finally said the words Percival had been dreaming of.

"Any other queries to deal with before we adjourn?"

It took all of Percival's willpower not to snort. _Adjourn_. _Who did he think he was? The king of -_

"I actually have a concern I'd like to raise."

He blinked and saw Trixie Barnes, so far silent, now shifting to edge of her seat with a nervous but defiant expression on her face.

Most of the others were all looking at each other with irritated surprise. While they all kept the tradition of asking if there were any more issues, no one ever actually _raised_ any. Truthfully, the schedule for the meeting was decided the week before and it was expected that they would not deviate. Percival knew he should have been annoyed at her for delaying his escape, but he was far too intrigued. Instead, he nodded. "Miss Barnes. Please go ahead."

She smiled. "Thank you."

Catesby opened and closed his mouth in dismay but Miss Barnes ignored him.

"I have a small issue with the structure of the Criminal Activity and Research Department. As you know, I have been promoted to deputy head, however I find my boss is…very absent." Percival immediately knew what she was talking about. The real head of CARD was Mallory Comstock and Percival hadn't seen him for months. He was useless and totally disinterested in working but he had been a valuable ally for President Picquery in winning her election and had been rewarded with a token job. Percival gripped his coffee cup hard. Miss Barnes continued, "Without a head for support, I am finding some aspects of the day to day running of a department challenging."

"You mean to say," Arthur Arkwright, the head of the Treasury, began. He turned slightly in his chair to eye her with an amused expression on his face. "That you are struggling to run your department, Miss Barnes?" He chuckled. "I suppose it can be difficult. But I find keeping involved with your staff is key. I leave my office and do my rounds at least once a week."

Irritated, Percival was about to tell Arkwright to shut his mouth or (preferably) leave, but to his surprise Miss Barnes sat up straighter in her chair and responded with tart smoothness.

"Not at all, Mr Arkwright. In fact, since I took over the department a little over a month ago, productivity has increased, meaning requested information is reaching departments far quicker." Arkwright opened his mouth but Miss Barnes wasn't finished. "But as you are so _involved_ with your own department, Mr Arkwright, I am sure you already knew that."

Arkwright spluttered and Miss Barnes blushed but didn't apologise. Percival had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing.

"What I meant," She continued, pointedly ignoring Arkwright's death glares. "Was that I need to have a senior member of staff to sign off on reports that I don't have the authority to. As I'm only a deputy head, there are some high profile cases that need departmental heads to sign off on - "

"I'll do it."

Every set of eyes around the long table swivelled to stare at him. He couldn't blame them; he never volunteered for anything – he didn't even _speak_ unless he had to. But he felt he might have found a kindred spirit in Miss Barnes; at last someone else seemed to be as frustrated as him with the bumbling inefficiency all around them.

She beamed at him and he was suddenly reminded of the perfectly baked cherry pie she had given him last month.

"Thank you, Mr Graves."

"No problem, Miss Barnes."

* * *

Monday 19th October 1925

Trixie hurried along the corridor to the meeting room, nerves jangling. She had been to several meetings since her promotion but still the anxiety came. And to make it even worse, she was running late.

She arrived at MACUSA just in time that morning, but the elevator had become stuck on its journey and it had taken Red, the elevator operator, several minutes to get it working again while irritably fending off the impatient huffs of its occupants. Then, as she finally stepped out of the elevator, her heel caught and a strap on her shoe snapped. Cursing her luck and unable to find her wand buried at the bottom of her bag, Trixie resigned herself to going to the meeting a tad dishevelled. Maybe if she was lucky, she could find a seat alone where she could quietly repair her shoe and get herself in order.

But when she opened the meeting room door, she saw that her luck still showed no sign of picking up.

The table was surrounded almost completely with heads of department and Trixie saw only two spaces; one next to Arthur Arkwright who she had bickered with (rather obnoxiously, she had to admit) and the other -

"Miss Barnes!" It was Mr Graves. "There's a seat next to me if you're looking for one."

Feeling like she was unable to really refuse, she thanked him and slid into the leather chair to his left, placing her notes carefully on the table. He gave her a small smile and a nod, before turning back to Catesby, the meeting chairman.

Since he had recommended her for promotion, Trixie had been battling with her opinion of Mr Graves. They had spoken a little since then, and he had been surprisingly kind; her initial impression of a heartless, ambitious and ferocious tyrant had become rather unstuck. Instead, she was starting to see a firm but fair leader who just wanted the bad people of the world brought to justice.

"- you're wrong, Catesby." Mr Graves was shaking his head with an expression of utter contempt. "So wrong I can't even begin to put you right."

Catesby reddened and floundered with his notes.

Trixie bit her lip. Alright, so maybe Mr Graves was still a _tad_ ferocious.

He drained his coffee cup and turned his dark stare on her.

"Miss Barnes, are you well?"

"I am, thank you." She looked past him to where the chairman was still looking upset. "But it seems Mr Catesby is shaken."

Mr Graves rolled his eyes and didn't even spare the man a glance. "He's a bureaucrat, Miss Barnes – the scourge of government work. A man with ideas above his station, nothing more."

Irritation pricked her skin. "And what do you think his _station_ is, Mr Graves?" Her voice must have turned cold because his eyes narrowed at her. He studied her for a moment and she began to feel hot. He opened his mouth but she cut him off before she lost her nerve. "Not all of us were lucky enough to be born into a rich and successful family. Some of us have to reach a little above our station to get where we want to go."

He was looking at her with something between fury and indignation. "His origin makes no difference to me. It's where he is now that bothers me – cluttering up these unnecessary meetings with even more drivel."

"You mean doing his job?" She had no idea why she was defending Catesby – in truth, she found him irritating too - but she didn't think that he deserved to be embarrassed and ridiculed. So she glared straight back at Mr Graves, feeling like she couldn't surrender now.

Mr Graves let out a quiet laugh that only highlighted just how not amused he was. "So what would you have me do, Miss Barnes?"

"Well…" She floundered; she hadn't exactly thought this far. "I think you should apologise."

"You want me to apologise?"

"Yes." She stuck her nose in air and opened her notebook. "At the end, I'd say. The meeting is about to begin and you don't want to disturb him any more than you have."

He opened his mouth but again he was interrupted, this time by Catesby himself calling the meeting to order. Mr Graves gave her one last long look. Trixie pretended not to notice.

By the end of the meeting, Trixie had mentally promised herself not to tangle with Mr Graves again. Twice now she had confronted him and she had been lucky to escape with her job the first time. This time, she wasn't sure she was going to be so lucky. She was just getting into her stride as deputy department head and her stomach twisted at the thought of losing it now. Catesby drew the meeting to a close and everyone broke into chatter as she slowly collected her things, Mr Graves' presence burning at her side.

However, he said nothing to her and stood up. So she picked up her bag with slightly shaking hands and made for the door, hoping to escape before he noticed her. Unable to resist, she snuck a glance over her shoulder and saw with a jolt of surprise that Mr Graves was shaking hands with a red but beaming Mr Catesby. Her shock left her unable to move, even as Mr Graves spotted her and wandered over. She just stared blankly at him as he held open the door for her.

"After you, Miss Barnes."

He looked so smug it her brought to life with a huff.

"I'm not going to thank you."

He laughed as she passed by him, feeling pleased and embarrassed at once.

"Of course not. I don't deserve it." He closed the door behind them, leaving them alone in the dark corridor.

He was grinning and suddenly all of her fear was replaced with toe-curling, delightful discomfort. "Exactly." She began sashaying down the corridor with as much casualness as she could with a wobbly shoe but he called after her.

"Perhaps you'll make a good man out of me yet, Miss Barnes!"

She clutched her files to her chest as she turned to him with a swish of her yellow skirt. "I already have a full-time job, Mr Graves - I hardly think I have the time for another."

* * *

Tuesday 6th April 1926

Percival glared at the paper in front of him with irritation as the meeting droned on around him.

He just couldn't work it out. As far as he could see, he had considered every possibility and still had no answer. He had carefully marked out each option and crossed it out with impatient lines. He was the Director of Magical Security, the descendent of one of the most prestigious wizarding families in America and he had _almost_ been in Horned Serpent in school. And yet here he was, stuck on the daily rune riddle in _The New York Ghost_.

"Your fifth rune is wrong."

Trixie Barnes was sat in what had become her usual seat to his left. He knew that she arrived to each meeting with the assumption that no one had sat in it through fear of him, but in reality he regularly shooed away his colleagues to keep it reserved for her. Childish? Yes. But Trixie Barnes' presence in his life had become a necessity and he wasn't going to let anyone stand in the way of the smidgen of closeness he had with her.

Her eyes were fixed on the speaker – the head of Magical Sport and Recreation – but she had leant in a little closer to him and was subtly showing him her own paper.

"You've mistaken 'yew' for 'fire'. Easy mistake to make – especially when it's been such a _long time_ since you've been in school."

She smirked playfully at him and he barely bit back a grin, not as irritated as he thought he should be with getting one of the runes wrong. He crossed out 'fire', replaced it with 'yew' and thought on her words. She was just teasing but it made him think about the age difference between them. She wasn't a young girl and wasn't an old man, but the difference was still significant enough to make him pause. It must be around ten years.

As far as he knew, there was hardly any age difference between her and her boyfriend Bobby. He gritted his teeth and pretended to listen to the meeting. It was churlish to dislike someone purely because you were jealous of them, but he couldn't help it. She didn't mention him very often but he saw them sometimes, meeting in the foyer or in the elevator before they skipped off to do whatever young, sociable people did.

Since when did he feel so old?

Since becoming strangely fixated on Trixie Barnes, that's when. It was quite unlike him to be distracted from his work, but her presence around the department was bewitching and he often found himself wandering out of his office to talk to her about some barely significant matter or other. Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed his strange behaviour.

He shifted in his chair, sitting up a little straighter.

It was probably just a phase anyway; a brief infatuation that would melt away quick enough once he got his teeth stuck into a truly exciting case.

Then he heard her soft whisper. "Any luck with seventh rune yet?"

He glanced at her, taking in her soft smile, her bright eyes and the slight flush high on her cheeks.

"No. No luck yet." He turned back to his paper. "Just need a bit more time."

* * *

Thursday 28th October 1926

Trixie shivered as she sat in her usual seat around the meeting table. She wished she'd had time to find her cardigan which was buried underneath a layer of coats on the rack in the corner of the office. They had been summoned quite suddenly and she hadn't had the time to do anything other than quickly finish her report and hurry to the meeting. Fall was descending quickly over New York, warming the streets with orange leaves but leaving a chill in the air. She wrapped her arms around herself, longing for a delicious hot chocolate from the MACUSA cafeteria downstairs. She glanced around and saw that there were still a few people missing. Perhaps if she was quick -

Then, out of nowhere, a mug appeared in front on her. She blinked and saw Percival Graves standing over her.

"Here." He handed it to her and she took it, still too surprised to say anything. A rich, warm scent reached her nose. She clung onto the mug, staring at him as he sat down with his own cup.

"Is this - "

"Hot chocolate." He took a sip of his coffee while she just sat there. "That's what you usually have, right? Hot chocolate with the…" He motioned sprinkling something.

She laughed, feeling herself redden. "Vanilla sprinkles." She took a sip of it and sighed with delight. "Thanks." She took another sip. "How do you know this is what I have?"

He shrugged and she wondered if he looked a little uncomfortable. "I've been behind you in the cafeteria queue a few times."

"Oh." Of all the people in MACUSA, she would never have guessed that Percival Graves would be the one to take an interest in her drink preferences. But she supposed he was a detective at heart and he must watch people all the time, picking on details no one else would consider. Still, it gave her an odd warm feeling that she wasn't sure she could blame on the hot chocolate. She took another sip to give her time to centre herself.

"What's this meeting about, anyway?"

He leaned in towards her and she copied him. He usually did that when he was about to tell her something that wasn't exactly common knowledge. "Grindelwald."

Her eyes widened and she took another sip of hot chocolate. "Really?" She whispered, half nervous, half excited.

He nodded, swallowing another mouthful of coffee. "President Picquery has finally decided to step in. I've been corresponding with Theseus Scamander in London and the President is letting me take a team across to meet him. From there, it looks like we might be tracking Grindelwald through Europe."

She reeled at the wave of information and worry began to gnaw at her. "You're leading a team to track down Grindelwald?"

He nodded, his excitement barely suppressed. She knew he loved getting his hands dirty, that he hated being stuck behind a desk, but hunting down one of the most powerful dark wizards the world had ever seen was something else. Suddenly, the hot chocolate was making her feel a little sick. She put it down and swallowed. He was watching her.

"Something wrong, Miss Barnes?"

"No, it's just…isn't that very dangerous?" He gave an almost patronising look. She glared. "I mean, I _know_ it is. Obviously. But is it a good idea? Surely you can't track down Grindelwald just like that? He'll have ways of escaping, disguising himself, he'll leave traps…"

"Of course he will." He still didn't seem fazed. "That's why we're pooling our resources. We'll share all we know on him and work together to bring him down."

Trixie wasn't convinced. She thought the plan was foolhardy and remarkably brash. But perhaps there was far more to it than Mr Graves was allowed to tell her; she didn't have the authority to know all the details. His enthusiasm worried her though. In the time she had known Mr Graves, she had become strangely fond of him (despite his brooding demeanour and sharp retorts) and couldn't stop herself frowning at this haphazard plan.

"You don't look happy."

"I'm not." She said, deciding to be brutally honest. He always seemed to quite enjoy that.

As predicted, he grinned. "You doubt me, Miss Barnes?"

She sighed. "I don't doubt your abilities, Mr Graves. I've heard how impressive your skills are - " She thought she heard him snort but she didn't think he'd be so childish. "- but it all seems very risky. I'm surprised President Picquery agreed to it."

"She almost didn't. But she knows something has to be done about Grindelwald."

"Hmm." She still couldn't shake the fear knotting in her stomach. She pushed her hot chocolate away from her.

"Don't worry." She looked back at him, surprised at the sudden softness of his voice. "I'll be careful."

She smiled, trying to push dark thoughts aside. "You'd better. If you're gone, who can tell me the answers to the rune riddles?"

* * *

Friday 22nd April 1927

Percival tapped his foot impatiently, checking his watch and sighing. The meeting wasn't due to start for another ten minutes but he was sat in his seat, ready and waiting. A handful of others were scattered around the room. They all knew better than to try and talk to him. Years of working with him had given them the impression that he didn't like socialising with his colleagues. That was an impression he'd worked very hard to create.

It wasn't strictly true though – there was one he enjoyed talking to.

He checked his watch again. He was insane and he knew it. But he hadn't seen her in days and he was getting more restless than usual. He was here in the hope that she might be early, that she might talk to him for a few minutes before they were forced to sit through an hour of the most boring discussion in history. She had broken it off with her long-term boyfriend only a week ago and while he wasn't expecting her to suddenly fall into his arms, just knowing that she was unattached made him feel a little more optimistic.

At each creak of the door, he looked around hopefully, only to be met with sheepish, panicked faces. He watched the time tick away. Even if she wasn't early, at least he'd get to sit next to her for an hour. That was something. It had been nearly a week since he'd laid eyes on her and he felt starved. He just needed to see her smile again -

"What are you doing here?"

He wheeled around to see her and immediately faltered. She wasn't smiling. In fact, she looked furious. She tossed her notebook onto the table along with her ludicrous pink quill. "I thought you were supposed to be on holiday."

He cleared his throat and straightened out his waistcoat, avoiding her eyes. "Just wanted to make sure the meeting went well. There's a lot to discuss - "

"Hobbies. Get some." She glared at him until he finally met her eyes. "Seriously, it's - "

"Bad for me, yes. So you keep saying." Worried he'd been too snappy, he gave her a small smile. "What would you suggest I do, Miss Barnes?"

"Hmm." She considered him for a moment before answering. "I think you should find something that requires time and patience."

He couldn't deny he was surprised. "You think I'm patient?"

She snorted in a very unladylike manner. "No, I think you're the most impatient person I've ever met and you should learn how to take your time."

There was a beat of silence before he started laughing. Others settling into the meeting room stared in surprise. He couldn't help it - the sheer joy of being teased by her was enough to lighten his mood considerably. Calming himself, he took a sip of iced coffee and fixed her with a curious stare.

"I don't think anyone else in this room would say that to me."

She blushed but continued all the same. "That's because you don't like them and they wouldn't dare."

He watched her flick through the meeting agenda and said quietly, "Yes, I suppose you're right."

The pink turned red on her cheeks and a smile tugged at her mouth. She shifted in her seat and for a brief moment, her leg pressed against his under the table. His toes curled in his shoes.

He was far too old for this.

"Really, what are you doing here?" She demanded. "You're meant to have this week off. You said you were going to visit your parents."

"And I did." He hadn't lied to her, he'd spent six days at his parents' house in Boston before returning to New York late yesterday evening, unable to take anymore. "I visited, I left."

She shook her head, her soft hair almost falling from its loose tie. "I can't believe you'd rather be in work than spend time with your family."

"If you met my parents, you'd understand." She frowned, and he suddenly felt guilty for disappointing her. "Look, my brother wasn't there. He's like the flamboyant glue that holds us all together. Without him to entertain everyone…" He trailed off lamely.

"You don't have to justify yourself to me!" She still sounded disapproving and he had a desperate urge to try and make it up to her. The problem was that he couldn't tell her the truth; he couldn't just blurt out that he had come to this tedious meeting just to sit next to her and hear her voice.

So he said, "After this, I'm going home."

She eyed him. "You promise?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Pleased he was on the right track, he continued before thinking it through, "And I'll carry on with my drawing when I get home."

Her eyes lit up. "Drawing?" She beamed. "You like drawing?"

Again, it wasn't a lie. He did draw sometimes. He didn't have much of an artistic flair but copying a scene in fine detail was something he could manage to a decent standard. Until now, it was something he'd kept to himself but she was so overjoyed at the mere thought of him drawing, he almost kicked himself for not saying sooner.

"What do you draw?" He was about to answer when she continued quickly, "Can you draw me? Is that real vain?"

"I can't draw people very well." He said quickly. He'd actually tried drawing her from memory a few months ago and failed rather abysmally.

"Ah, well, never mind!" She continued brightly. "What are you drawing now?"

He remembered the sketch tucked between two books still in his unpacked bag. "An archway in my parents' garden."

"Oh!" She clasped her hands together, her face radiating happiness. "Will you bring it in on Monday? I would _love_ to see it!"

He almost slumped in his seat. Now he _had_ to finish that drawing.

* * *

Wednesday 13th July 1927

Trixie's day was dragging. Their workflow had slowed in the last few days which meant the department could have a much needed tidy up but such an easy task seemed so dull since the excitement of hunting down a criminal last month with Percival Graves himself. While she was happy to stick to paperwork in the future, she couldn't deny that everything felt so sluggish since then. She yawned, waving her wand and sending another neatly reorganised drawer back to its place in the cabinet. Glancing at the clock on her desk, she grinned when she saw the time.

The departmental meeting was due to start in a few minutes and, unusually, she was looking forward to it. In the chairman's absence, the meeting was being taken by Mr Graves - something she had been teasing him about all week. He dreaded the meetings more than anyone and now he had to feign an interest in what people were saying.

Smiling to herself, she scooped up her notebook and weaved her way along the corridor, slipping into the meeting room which was almost full. She saw Mr Graves stood up at the head of the table, scowling down at the meeting agenda. She barely contained her laughter as she sat in her usual seat, leaving a gap next to her where he always sat. He noticed her and clenched his jaw.

"Don't."

She laughed, unable to hold it in, and threw her hands in the air. "I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't have to." He growled. But she knew him well enough now to know that he was amused, just very good at hiding it. "I need all the support I can get, you know."

"I'm sorry." She bit her lip and almost laughed again at the expression of dread on his face. "I know this is very traumatic for you."

"It is." He insisted, clutching the meeting agenda a little too tightly. He cleared his throat and said loudly, "Alright, everyone quiet!"

A slightly terrified silence fell over the group of departmental heads and Trixie almost started laughing again.

"I'm aiming to keep this meeting as _brief_ as possible." He gave them all a stern look as if he was daring them to drag it out any longer. "First, I apparently have to welcome Juniper Castell, the new head of Wizarding Resources." There was a murmur of welcomes around the table as a nervous-looking woman smiled shakily.

Trixie could only imagine how scared she would have been if her first ever meeting had been chaired by Mr Graves. But she couldn't picture ever being so nervous around him now – he had become her favourite person to talk to at MACUSA. The moodiness and impatience that she had once found intimidating, she now found amusing and oddly charming, and the fact that she was one of the few people he actually talked to made her feel warm. She watched as he quickly deflected a question from Julius Everett and grinned to herself.

He caught her eye and while he didn't smile, his eyes softened, making her squirm in her seat a little. He turned back to the agenda and continued on, his voice still painfully unenthusiastic.

Throughout the meeting, she watched him with interest. She saw him so differently now compared with the first few times she had met him. Over the years, she had come to realise that he was funny, in his own acerbic way, and quietly kind. He was dedicated to his job entirely – sometimes irritatingly so. And despite being a strict leader, he really was very loyal to his team. He had defended Tina Goldstein when she made a mistake, gone against President Picquery when she proposed longer working hours, she even heard that he had encouraged one of the girls in administration to follow her dream of being an auror, personally recommending her for training.

She watched absentmindedly as he continued to sharply deflect Julius Everett's persistent questioning, her gaze drifting from his dark eyes, to his firm jaw, to his broad shoulders –

Her quill dropped from her hand, clattering onto the table and making her jump.

"Miss Barnes?" His eyes sparkled with amusement. "I hope I'm not boring you."

"N-no!" She suddenly felt breathless and hot under his dark gaze. "Of course not."

She knew her reply wasn't the witty one he'd expected and sure enough, his face fell slightly. She swallowed, her mouth dry and her palms clammy. He consulted the agenda again, giving her a lovely view of his large, strong hands. Her breath caught in her chest and she tried to shake herself out of it. Really, this was silly. Of course Mr Graves was handsome, she had always known that.

But just because he was handsome, didn't mean she was going to _fall_ for him. No, if she was going to fall for someone it was much more likely to be because they were kind and intelligent and funny…

Oh.

 _Oh._

"- Julius, seen as you've got so much to say, why don't you take the meeting, hm?" He gestured rather aggressively to Julius Everett to stand and take his place. Mr Graves slid into his usual chair next to her, oblivious to Trixie's inner turmoil, and said, "Now _this_ should be interesting."

She had a strange desire to move away from him, the idea of sitting next to him now seemed almost indecent. Suddenly, she was very conscious of how close their chairs were, of everything she was wearing, and how obvious the burning blush on her face was. As Julius stumbled his way through point seven on the agenda, Percival turned to her to share a smug smile but found her still ridged in her seat.

"You alright?" He asked her, looking genuinely concerned.

She blinked and it her took her a moment for her brain to catch up and answer him. "Hmm? Oh, yes. Of course." She was far too flustered, far too hot, far too shaken to just sit next to him like nothing had happened. But nothing _had_ happened, she reasoned, as he turned away again, watching Julius with amusement.

How strange that she had come into this meeting thinking they were wonderful friends and now she would be leaving it so incredibly unsure. Now she had begun admiring him in a more romantic way, it was hard to stop. Why had she never noticed that his arm would be lovely to hold as she wandered down the street with him? Or that the grey at his temples made him look incredibly distinguished? Or that his eyes would look devilishly dark in candlelight?

He turned suddenly, as if sensing her gaze.

"What?" He whispered. "You think I should put him out of his misery?" He nodded towards Julius who was still struggling on.

She tried to smile. "Yes, probably."

He sighed. "You never let me have any fun." He stood up. "Alright, that's enough! Sit down, Julius."

As he raced through the other points, her heart hammered in her chest. Had she ruined it all? Was their friendship gone forever just because she had finally noticed that he was wonderful? Just as she was panicking, he glanced up and their eyes met. He gave her a smirk and she momentarily forgot where she was and what she was doing there. Then he looked away and she was left half destroyed, half hopeful.

She had been assuming that she was alone in her feelings. She wondered, with hope blooming inside her, if that was true.


End file.
